Half of NISA Users Profit! A Beginner’s Guide to Opening an Account
NISA Laggard Writer in his 40s, "The Road to Investment" #2
One year since the new NISA began, did new investors make a profit!?
One year since the launch of the new NISA. According to Oricon Customer Satisfaction®, which conducts independent satisfaction surveys exclusively for actual service users, data from the New NISA Usage Survey reveals that 50.0% of the 4,978 respondents using online securities platforms saw gains in their Tsumi-tate Investment accounts.
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Choosing the wrong NISA account provider can significantly limit your investment options.
Asset management, the new NISA, investment trusts. Hearing financial terms doesn’t ring a bell. As a freelance writer, I always felt that investment has nothing to do with me.
Having reached my 40s without any connection to NISA or iDeCo (individual-type defined contribution pension), I spoke with a financial expert for “The Investment Journey of a Latecomer 40s Writer: #1” and realized, albeit late, the necessity of investing.
In an era of ongoing inflation, wisely growing assets and preparing for retirement without relying solely on national pensions is crucial for a secure future. Though I started late, I finally began to see investment as a personal matter.
However, when I tried to start NISA, I had no idea where to begin. I read beginner’s guides and online articles, but the technical jargon was too complicated to grasp. I feared that starting with shallow knowledge would lead to failure.
Many beginners may be in the same boat—searching on YouTube, the internet, or social media, only to get confused and delay their investment journey. So, I asked financial planner Kenji Matsuoka to explain how to start NISA in an easy-to-understand way.
“To start NISA, you first need to open a NISA account. This is a dedicated account separate from your regular or fixed deposit accounts, specifically for using NISA. You can apply for and open a NISA account at securities companies, banks, post offices, and credit unions.”
For beginners with no investment knowledge, choosing where to open an account can be overwhelming from the start. In fact, this decision is one of the most critical points when starting NISA.
“When investing through NISA, you select stocks (products), but the financial institution where you open your account determines the number of options and the fees. For example, Company A may offer 200 investment options, while Bank B only has 20. This limits choices, meaning the product you want might be available at Company A but not at Bank B.”
Is Consulting a Bank a Bad Idea? You Might Be Recommended Overpriced Stocks
As a beginner, the author had little knowledge of investment products when opening a NISA account. They didn’t even know what would be considered a large or small lineup of available options. It seemed easier to consult an expert in person, but financial planner Kenji Matsuoka strongly advised against visiting banks for advice.
“If you go to a bank or brokerage firm simply because you don’t understand, they will likely steer you toward opening an account with them. You might end up investing in expensive products with high transaction fees without fully understanding the lineup of available options. While discussing investments in person may feel reassuring, I do not recommend relying on bank consultations.”
